Leaders with Mandy

Retirees care and are talking about:
1. Whether to look or not to look like a retiree: THAT is the question!👌🏽🤣
✨To look like a retiree means you’re finally FREE to live life on your own terms, and you’re doing just that - and you’re loving it!🤩🩷
✨To NOT look like a retiree means you’re defying the perils of the times and the longer you live the better you’re looking and feeling!🤗

What are your thoughts?💭😉
(In photo: Coach Mandy S. and lifelong friend/sis (and fellow retiree) Amiynah H.
I met this girlie when we were 9 & 10 yrs. old!! Our sisterhood is still as strong as can be!☺️🙋🏾💁🏽‍♀️)

Things I’ve learned about Life Insurance-
Fact #2
The purpose of Life insurance is the same as that of other types of insurance: You hope you’ll never have to use it - but it’s extremely smart to have it. If the unfortunate event, or when the natural progression of our life cycle happens, 😟 (e.g. damage to your vehicle, to your home, to other property.. and yes- loss of life…) then having the proper insurance can make the difference between a timely recovery, and lifelong misfortune.

So let me ask you a couple of quick questions:
1️⃣How much does it cost to replace damaged or ‘totaled’ property?
2️⃣How much does it cost- and [how] would your loved ones replace your income if the unthinkable happened?
Retiree, I don’t know about you, but these questions once kept me up at night! Thank God, that is no longer the case - it’s a thing of the past. THAT risk is what life insurance takes care of. It [quickly] replaces an important piece of what you have lost unexpectedly!
Claiming that quick replacement of funds to get your recovery going, should be the purpose of your life insurance policy!😌👍🏽

Retirees and pre-retirees, what do YOU have in place to insure the quick replacement of something valuable and essential, for your wellbeing and the wellbeing of your loved ones?🌟🌟

Things I’ve learned about Life Insurance-
Fact #1 :
I don’t need my life insurance policy to create ‘cash value’ (a savings account) for me. As a licensed Life Insurer, I understand this now, and I want you to understand it about your policy as well! The more I discuss this important issue with pre-retirees and retirees, the more I realize there’s a considerable amount of [confusion!] about the ultimate purpose of your life insurance policies.🤔
✨There’s also some confusion about the savings and investment accounts that I know you want to secure to sustain you during your entire retirement years!
✨But first, because I believe you really want your life insurance policy, to work for you and your loved ones, I’m suggesting you take a closer look: do you [understand] the policy you have? Are you confident that it will truly meet your family needs when it’s needed?

👉🏼And as far as that ‘cash value’ is concerned, do you understand how it’s making money and growing for your easy access when you need it, in your far and near future?
✨Please be sure you truly know how your current accounts are working and growing for you! If you’re feeling unsure or have any questions, please feel free to ask me what else I’ve learned - and why I also want you to learn it !🤗✨

My dear retirees, may I share a thought on this Mindful Monday?
On the Tamron Hall Show, guest Kim Fields, and Tamron talked about a time we should reach in life, when women genuinely care about our own wellbeing. We have to do the things that foster wellness and happiness in our personal lives… in our social living… in our relational experiences. We must take the steps to finally leap [beyond] that line of discovery and acknowledgment. For many women, this is often such a tall order!

Once you’ve learned what things make you happy and well, don’t just stop at the notion! Get passionate about pursuing and incorporating those things in your life- moving forward and on a regular basis.
After all, If not finally in retirement, then when?🤔
A friend recently shared this thought:
“I no longer wait for others’ schedules to coincide with mine. This kept putting off my dreams and goals. These days, if I have to plan a rewarding activity by myself, I simply ‘book it and go for it’. And when I get ‘there’ I’m seldom alone, except for when I want to be…”

Retiree, I believe the key message here, is to finally start doing the things you’ve always dreamed of!
Life is increasingly challenging and time waits for no one. You may feel you deserve this but it simply doesn’t come to you naturally!💁🏽
In such case, some assisted planning, can open the door to all of life’s little wonders! The truth is, they’re available to you right now!🤗✨

📸 From the archives
(Life has NEVER been a straight ➡️to your destination… let’s be honest with ourselves and get back to being intentional about the things and people that truly matter in life.. )
[They ] make the journey worth the pain, and the journey will look more like…🔀🔙🔄↪️↗️)🎉🎉
Stay the course! It’s not always pretty, and it’s definitely not always easy, but
my-oh-my, you and your loved ones are worth it!!!🤗

Well retiree, hindsight is truly 20/20, isn't it? And it can be so frustrating to later feel stuck on "Why did it take so long to figure this out?”😣
Once we "get it", instead of feeling a sense of accomplishment, we may fall into some regret, and beating ourselves up…
But we should not, because it is biologically, a developmental process and not merely an age specific one.

‘Retirement Reconciliation’ is one of the last retirement stages, but not to be mistaken for ‘the last years’! On the contrary, retirees in this stage are more focused on enjoying the fruit of their lifelong efforts. Reconciliation is a stage of clarity and determination to live happily, and on our own terms.

A retired friend once explained her transition from the ‘Reorientation’ to her ‘Reconciliation’ stage with a reflection: “It turns out that I just wasn't ready then- I'm just becoming ready now!” That simple.

💡In many circumstances the ‘younger’-you isn't situationally nor developmentally ready to learn life transition lessons, even in the presence of some pain. And yes, unreadiness can still be present in your earlier retirement years. For many, it appears that certain missteps just have to happen, until the outcomes become so uncomfortable that we never want to experience them again.
✨We correct, missteps when the pain registers enough to make us stop, and transition to better, for good.✨
Once that is resolved and settled within us we can truly focus on the alternative outcomes that we truly want to be present in our lives.

Consequently, I'm (still!) intentionally teaching myself to *forgive* the younger me that wasn’t yet able to [perceive] the pain that was building from each of life’s missteps.💁🏽

So, my dear retiree, is this a lesson your ‘younger’-you, has finally accepted in order to embrace your future stage of Reconciliation? Are you aware enough to be working towards it?😉

Dear retiree, here are a few things I’ve learned about Medicare, finances and proper preparation:

✨Qualifying for Medicare benefits can be a great blessing that many look forward to. But it is important to understand that Medicare, like your previous medical insurance policies, doesn’t cover all medical costs.
Doing some preparatory research will help in determining how much you should be saving to truly cover your medical expenses once you’re enrolled for Medicare benefits.

✨Medical expenses are higher in retirement because our bodies are evolving and changing during this unique life stage. You may find that you’re needing medical procedures that you didn’t necessarily need as a career person. In my research I’m learning that many pre-retirees are choosing to work longer, particularly to accumulate more savings and investments for future medical needs.

✨Its truly crucial to choose medical coverage options that specifically align with your medical needs. Thankfully, there will always be representatives that that can guide you through the steps of enrolling but I’m finding that you have to have a general understanding of the financial tools you’ll need in place to ensure your retirement years are not consumed by worry over constant medical expenses.
I’m here to discuss these concepts with you- before it’s time to make the crucial choices for your best retirement years!🤗✨✨

“Retirement Reorientation” can be both, a reassuring and an exciting season. But, what is that exactly ?
Well, hopefully, you’ve managed to skip the phase called
“retirement disenchantment”, in which some may return from a long awaited retirement trip and then find themselves confused about what next to do with themselves, moving forward.💁🏽 You definitely don’t need to experience that, if you’ve been preparing mentally, emotionally and financially for all your upcoming life stages.
[Skipping] retirement disenchantment involves understanding that you must plan for this new way of life.

So what does “5-years-in” look like in retirement? At this point, perhaps several more of your friends have likely retired as well! Not only do you have new members rejoining your village, but some may be looking to you for some insight!😃
And what are some of the things you and your new village could be exploring together?
-Being intentional about maintaining positive relationships with your communities.
-Redefining things you have in common (or not in common) with your fellow retirees-you can navigate this emotional, spiritual, physical and financial switch with your special groups.
-Intentionally making time to be with your loved ones, including sharing information about your new needs as this new you, that facilitates a slightly new version of family time .
Compare and contrast your thoughts and intentions with those of your family and your community.
-Making lists, brainstorming how [you] want your daily living to be structured moving forward.
🌟No matter how private a person you may or may not be, addressing the aspects of retirement you haven’t discussed before, can be very freeing and rewarding.
Remember these are your reward years! Enjoy them by clarifying for yourself what makes a healthy and happy you.🌟
You’ll ensure a much smoother
“Retirement Reorientation” as you incorporate these simple and timely steps into this exciting chapter!
😃👌🏽✨

~Financially Savvy Friday~
Retiree, Instead of saving less because you’re spending more in 2026, save a little more, because you STILL have to secure your tomorrow!❤️

But how do you save more without feeling like you’re living less as a result? This is a valid question that we often struggle to answer in a manner that satisfies our today and serves our tomorrow. The word ‘savings’ seems to have become a scary word for many these days. You may feel like it’s unrealistic to consider it, given your circumstances in today’s economics.
As a retirement wellbeing coach and financial services representative, I cannot count how often I hear this sentiment, and I completely understand it. I was there myself for a number of years, until I understood certain not-so-complicated principles…
Retirees and pre-retirees, it turns out that life is one big economic cycle. Hard times will periodically hit societies regardless of who’s running the government. Let’s resolve to let go of this excuse for not securing [our] future! 💁🏽‍♀️ Right within your current income and budget, are “secret” money pockets that contain dollars you’re not considering - but you are spending them!

If a reliable professional could assist you in transforming your financial house would you consider exploring that? These easy and steady money solutions will become obvious to you and you’ll quickly see evidence of how they’re working for you, your loved ones and your future.

Small and simple adjustments to your money management can get a significant financial transformation going for you. Would you like to learn a few simple strategies for saving a few more dollars and placing them were you’ll have them in retirement ? Remember your tomorrow with your loved ones matters, and I believe they matter a lot!☺️👌🏽🌟

My dear retirees (and future retirees), let’s take 60 seconds to recalibrate…🧘🏽

In our day-to-day living we learn to expect a certain amount of predictable events based on the way other similar ones have occurred in the past.
( Introspection 👉🏼Prediction)✔️

Over time, we then proceed to plan our lives based on our expectations of how we’re [likely to] move forward. But let’s be careful not to become too mechanical about what we expect from life, as we practice this principle of Reflection and Prediction!🙂
Because life will do its [typical branching off] and we’re often caught off guard - regretting unexpected outcomes, for some time to come.
Should the “branching-off” events be so surprising? Well… as I reflected on some of mine, the answer that came to me was: “no, not really”…
And my extreme disappointment in those branched-off events wasn’t going to produce the outcome that I had been expecting either!🤷🏽‍♀️

So then, [how] does Prediction produce our desired future outcomes in life?
Well…
I got tired of feeling disappointed every other month: it didn’t make sense that I was working so hard to be an intentional, organized human, trying to achieve meaningful gains, while life kept dishing back mediocre outcomes at best.
I expected ‘the process’ to go more evenly ( frankly, upwardly !) and systematically from A to Z - and then… well, my mission should be accomplished!

An honest reflection on the patterns that led me to the ‘mediocre’ outcomes helped me to eventually understand this principle:
Everything that you set your eyes and then your heart on, won’t be perfectly lined up on your path! But when a desired outcome is truly a part of your destiny, you’ll need to also understand that in order to win that prized outcome you must learn to be steadfast (consistent!) in following that winding road.. ( the branching-off road!)

✨Retiree, life is seldom linear! Unexpected events may shift your
plans!✨

Part of my mistake was to stop at the Y on the road, to walk away from my destined road, before reaching my destination .. I was repeatedly concluding that I was on the wrong path, simply because according to me, it was “too long, and too convoluted”.
In those honest self-reflections let’s lean in a bit more, to hear the voice of our Creator, and learn which path is truly a part of our course… (and perhaps also understand which paths are part of somebody else’s course!) I had to learn to follow the path designed for my life!

You too, have a designated and personal path - a course that you must discover. Please understand that God didn’t make mistakes in the designing of your life!
Also know that the road to your achievements- (graduation, promotion, a properly prepared for retirement and beyond…) will include some pesky hills and some frustrating valleys… the sooner you get a grip on these principles, the sooner you’ll get on your designated path:
1. Lean into that voice to gain clarity about your goals…
2. Remain steadfast- stick to that inner voice to become more satisfied with your journey .

🌟These two essential steps will keep you more self-directed and determined on your specific path to get where you deserve to be!☺️🌟🌟

💡Last Will and Testament and
Irrevocable/Revocable Trusts: Two important safeguards you should want to have in place for youand your heirs…

In today’s day and age you’ve likely learned of the importance of these two arrangements for yourself and your loved ones.
1️⃣A Last Will and Testament (in my opinion) is a bare minimum requirement for you to ensure that your assets will actually go to the individuals you intended to receive them

2️⃣An Irrevocable or a Revocable Trust: -An Irrevocable Trust ensures that the fate of your assets is not decided by your state, once you’ve passed away. Placing your assets in this type of fund will ensure that your trustee is able to get those assets in the possession of [your designated] beneficiaries.

-Now, there are certain advantages to a Revocable Trust, that are particularly advantageous while you, the grantor of your estate are still alive and still want to make your determinations for your estate. A revocable trust has slightly different rules and designations).

🌟Retiree, for your peace of mind, and the well-being of your loved ones, it is important that you begin to research your options - and the sooner the better… Remember, none of us can predict the future. Let’s be prepared today!
🌟Let’s talk about effective first steps you can take to get on the right track with these two very important processes!
👍🏼🌟

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